Convertible chair



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. L. JORGENSEN. CONVERTIBLE GHAIR.

No. 454,276. Patented June 16,1891

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. JORGENSEN.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

Patented June 16,1891.

Wwmapwy (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

v L. JORGENSEN.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

. Patented June 16,1891.

WWW

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CE.

LARS J ORGENSEN, OF MILXVAUKEE, XVISCONSIN.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,276, dated June 16,1891.

Application filed July 22, 1889. Serial No. 318,345. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LARS JORGENSEN, of Milwaukee, in the countyof'Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain newanduseful Improvements in Convertible Chairs; and I do hereby. declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to convertible chairs of the kind especiallydesigned for use in the nursery; and it consists in certainpeculiarities of construction, aswill be fully set forth hereinafter andsubsequently claimed.

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my chairwith portions broken away and arranged for a swinging movement with amovable base. Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view of the lower part ofthe frame with some portions thereof differently arranged and the upperpart which supports the seat turned at right angles thereto, the devicebeing arranged for a rocking movement with a stationary base. Fig. 3 isa detail view showing the base of the upper part extended to form a cribor cradle. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the inner lower side piecesof the seat-supporting frame. Fig. 5 is an under side plan view of thelower portion, partly broken away. Fig. 6 is a detail View of one of theouter lower side pieces of the seat-supporting frame. Fig. '7 is adetail plan view of the parts which form the foot of the cradle or cribfolded, ready for being slid inward, out of place. Fig. 8 is an underside plan view of the attachment of the upper part of the frame to thelower part thereof, partly in section, on the line 8 8 of Fig. 1. Fig.9-is a detail view of one of the swinging or rocking hangers, and Fig.10 is a perspective view of the foot-rest. Fig. 11 is a transversevertical section, on an enlarged scale, of the chair arranged for arocking movement. Fig. 12 is a similar view of the same arranged for aswinging movement.

The object of my invention is to produce a chair the body or seatportion of which can be readily converted into a cradle and which shallbe capable of either a rocking or a direct swinging motion upon itssupports.

A A are the transverse end pieces of the lower part of my device, havingend uprights a a, connected by the side bars B B, the latter forming,with the upper bars 0 O and 0011- necting strips 1) c o c, (orornamental or solid panels, if preferred,) the side frames of saidlowerpart.

D D are two bars, which are hinged, as shown at d d, to the saidtransverse end pieces A A and provided at each end with casters D D andbrace-pieces D D hinged, as shown at d, to the bars D, adjacent to saidcasters. By means of this construction the bars D may be turned upagainst the transverse end pieces A, with the casters D and brace-piecesD extending inwardly and resting horizontally upon the bars D, so as tobe out of the Way, and with the lower portion of my device restingfirmly on the floor on said end pieces A when a stationary base isdesired, as in Figs. 2 and 12; or the said bars D may be let down, sothat the casters D will project below the bottoms of the end pieces A,and the brace pieces D turned outward on their hinges, so as to extendup against the under side of the side bars 13, as shown in Figs. 1 and11, and thereby lock the caster-bars D in this position when a movableor rolling base is desired.

E E are hangers, whose upper outturned ends 6 are journaled in seatsformed in or on the upper bars 0 (or upper part of the side frames) withsuitable boxes or caps e to retain them in place, the said hangers eachconsisting of two slightly -inclined arms 6 e, united at the bottom by across-piece c and their said outturned upper ends 6 are terminated indownward-extending lips or extensions e (designed to be on the outsideof the side frame or bars (3,) all as best shown in Fig. 9.

F F are strong spiral springs, each of which is doubled into a V shape,the two ends of the base of each spring being secured by screweyes f fto the inner surface of one of the transverse end pieces A and the apexof each V having the coil preferably drawn out, as shown best in Fig.5,and similarly secured to a screw-eye f, depending from one end of anotched locking bar F, there being of course a screw-eye f adjacent toeach end of said bar F. A notch f is located at each end of bar F forthe reception of the crossieces e of the han ers E when it is desired togive the upper part of my device a rocking motion, as shown in Fig. 3,and hereinafter described.

\Vithin the described side frame (or side bars and strips 13 C b c c c)of the lower part of my device is located the seat-supporting frame,consisting of the platform G, with a circular opening g and under sidecleats G G, curved front bars If H and rear bars If H depending fromsaid cleats to the outer lower side pieces I I, Fig. 6, of said frame,to which pieces the lower ends of the curved bars are firmly secured andthe inner lower side pieces J J, Fig. 4. The pieces I I are eachprovided with under side lugs i i, having longitudinal slots t" andcentral bottom openings 1' formed therein for the reception of thedescribed cross-pieces e of the hangers E, and the pieces J J are unitedbycross-rods j jj and are provided with notches j 3' 7' on the underside, the forward notches j being for the reception of the describedcross-piece e of the forward hanger E, secured in place therein by thecap j, while the cross-piece e of the rear hanger E is adapted(according to the adjustment desired-that is, whether a rocking or theswinging movement is to be utilized) to be received in either theintermediate notches j or the rear notches 7' said cross-piece 6 beingsecured in either of said notches by means of the sliding slottedcatches whose slots j enable them to travel on the headed pinsj whichare secured to the under side of the inner pieces J.

From the above description it will be seen that when the lower parts 6of the hangers E are inserted into the inner notchesj of the bars J, asshown in Fig. l, and also into the notehesf of the locking-bar F, asshown in Figs. 2 and 12, if motion be imparted to the chair one of saidhangers temporarily forms the fulcrum or pivot and remains substantiallystationary, while the other hanger moves inwardly by the upward andinward movement of the suspended frame-work at the end opposite to thehanger forming the fulcrum, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 12, themovement being reversed to complete the rocking action. )Vhen, however,the cross-pieces c are drawn out of the notches f of the lockingbar Fand placed in the outer notchesj of the bar J and in the outer ends ofthe sockets i in bar I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 11, the chair will haveonly a direct swinging movement, the springs F in this instance beingout of action and serving only to sustain the locking-bar in detachedposition from the hangers E.

Secured to the opposing inner sides of the front curved bars If H of theseat-supporting frame (which bars II II, as well as the rear curved barsH H, are braced or strengthened by transverse connecting-rods h and h)are plates K, having a series of retaining-notches 7s 7; lo cut thereinto receive the holding-dogs L L of the foot-rest L, Fig. 10, whose sidepieces L do not extend quite as far back as its top plate or foot-restproper, and the curved rear edges of which side pieces consequently litsnugly against the forward faces of the said curved bars ll II, inwhichever of the notches 7t It the dogs L maybe placed in the desiredvertical adjustment of said foot-rest.

M is the base-board of the upper portion or seat-frame of my device, andthis is provided on its under side with four (more or less) rigidly-secured lipped guides m m, whose lips project under and hold the platform Gand base-board M securely together, and yet permit the latter to befreely turned upon the former when desired, as shown in the change ofposition of the upper part from the position shown in Fig. 1 to thatshown in Fig. 2.

ill is the seat proper, raised above the baseboard M by the side piecesm and back piece m so as to form a box or receptacle under said seat Mabove said base-board'M, to receive the extensible frame N and itsattachments, Fig. 7 which are used in forming the crib or cradle. Thisframe N consists of a flat board or rectangular frame with woodenfilling n, which need only extend part way back, as shown, having astationary front piece N, (provided with a handle, knob, or pull'n,) andwith folding side pieces N N hinged at n n", and also with folding endpiece N hinged at n it.

To the inner side of this frame or board N is hinged by its upper edge astrip N with a ring or pull a", and the object of which when the frame Nis pulled out and its outer end is raised up (with side and end pieces NN N also raised) is to drop down and close the space beneath the frameN, and thus hold the same firmly in its raised position, as best shownin Fig. 2-3, making with the sides M M and back M of the seat a crib orcradle. The inner end of this frame N is provided with a slot 0 toreceive a pin 0, depending from one end of a link 0, the other end ofwhich is pivoted, as by bolt 0 to the seat M. The seat-back M is hinged,as shown at or" to the rear of the seat M, so as to be inclinedbackward, when desired, to any desired extent, this being accomplishedby means of rackbars P (preferably located within recesses 11 in therear of thetop frames of the side pieces M of the seat, as best shown inFig. 1,) and locking-levers Q, having dogs or pawls q at their innerends, being provided for engagement with the rack P and journaled onpivots q in slots pinthe seat-back M. A slight pressure on the rearwardprojecting ends of said levers Q is sufficient to free their pawl endsfrom engagement with any tooth of the rack-bars, with which said leverswill automatieally re-engage by gravity as soon as released. The saidtop frames of the side pieces M of the seat are further provided withscrew-eyes 0 and pins or lugs 9", the former of which are to receive theprojecting wire or other ends R of a tray or table S, whose side edgesare provided on their under sides with notches s s for adjustableengagement with the said pins or lugs 'r for supporting the tray ortable.

T is a hook, one end of which is pivotally secured to the cross-piece eof the rear hanger E, and the free end of which is brought intoengagement with a screw-eye t, projecting from the inside of the reartransverse end piece A of the lower frame when it is desired to stop theswinging motion of' the seat-supporting frame and keep it stationary.The said hook can be simplyturned back out of the way, and rest 011 theintermediate cross-rod j of the piecesJ J, as shownin Fig. 1, when aswinging motion is desired. U is a similar hook pivotally secured to thecross-piece c of the forward hangerE to engage with a similar screweyeprojecting from the forward end piece A when it is desired to stop therocking motion of the seat-supporting frame and keep it stationary, andwhich can also be turned back.

out of the way, like the hook T,'just described, and rested on the saidrod j, as shown in Fig. 2, the different adjustment of the hangers E Efor swinging and rocking necessitating hooks of different lengths (ordifferently-located screw-eyes) for this purpose.

V V represent pins or stops projecting from the inner surface of theside frames (or central strips Z2) of the lower part of my device tolimit the movement of the hangers E E as they swing or rock back andforth.

The operation of my device will be readily understood from the foregoingdescription of its construction,taken in connection with the drawings,whereby it will beseen that it can be readily and quickly converted intoa stationary, swinging, or rocking chair, or crib or cradle on eitherastationary or rolling base, and with the seat or upper part either inline with the base or at any angle thereto and with the back of the seatat any desired inclination, as well as permitting the tray or table tobe adjusted horizontally and the footrest vertically, so as to adapt thedevice for many uses and for the use of children of different ages orsizes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, vand desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a convertible chair, the combination, with a lower frame andhangers pivotally secured thereto, of aseat-supporting frame havingslotted lower side pieces adapted to be secured to and rest on saidhangers, adjustable inner side pieces, also adapted for e11- gagementwith said hangers, springs secured to the end pieces of the lower frame,and a notched locking-bar secured to said springs and adapted to engagewith or be disengaged from said hangers, whereby the saidseat-supporting frame may be given a swinging or rocking motion atpleasure, substantially as set forth.

2. In a convertible chair, the combination, with the side bars and endpieces of the frame, of bars hinged to the inner sides of said endpieces and having casters at each end and brace-pieces hinged near eachend adjacent to said casters and adapted to engage with the under sideof the side bars and lock the hinged bars firmly in position when thecasters are turned down, substantially as set forth.

3. In a convertible chair, the combination, with the seat-base and seatraised above said base to form a receptacle, of an extensible frameslotted at its rear end, a link and pin within said receptacleconnecting said slotted end with the seat, folding end and side pieceshinged to said extensible frame, and a bracestrip hinged to the underside of said extensible frame, substantially as set forth.

4. In a convertible chair, the'combination, with the seat and its sidepieces and hinged inclined seat-back, of an extensible frame havingfolding end and side pieces hinged thereto, and a link connecting saidextensible frame with the under side of the seat, substantially as setforth.

In testimony that I claim the-foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wis consin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

LABS JORGENSEN.

Witnesses:

H. G. UNDERwooD, WM. KLUG.

